The intent of the DAN government in declaration of 2006 as the ‘Year of Farmers’ needs to be welcomed and one would hope that the objective towards achieving self-sufficiency in agriculture and bringing the long cherished economic prosperity to the farmers becomes a reality. The idea behind declaring “Year of Farmers” could not have been better timed as it will now give agriculture its due place of importance in the state’s economy and improve the living condition of the farmers. Against this backdrop comes the much awaited North-East Agri Expo sponsored by the Union Ministry of Agriculture, DONER and Ministry of Rural Development and to be hosted by the Government of Nagaland. That the Union Minister Sharad Pawar has himself agreed to inaugurate the expo would only go to show that the event is being taken up with all seriousness by the Central Government.
The Agri Expo also presents the perfect chance for local farmers and entrepreneurs to explore the various business openings being provided by this one-stop platform. There is an enormous wealth of information to be acquired from the expo and hopefully this opportunity will not go a begging. As such, the forthcoming North East Agri Expo will give the farmers of Nagaland the much needed exposure to the latest methods and technologies in modern agriculture. For the big business firms it will be an opportunity to get a first hand insight into the potential of agriculture in Nagaland and also to get a first hand experience about the overall situation in the State rather than going by heresy of the disturbed area tag that has been unfairly attached to the image of Nagaland.
The State Government and the mass based NGOs would also have to realize that for long term investment and development to fructify, the law and order situation will have to be constantly monitored and kept under control. Unless this can be assured, those would be investors will not be interested to go in for the long haul. It is therefore the responsibility of the concerned authorities to ensure that side by side with development initiative, efforts at peace building exercise is pushed a notch higher as a priority issue. Investors have a right to demand a favorable atmosphere to do business and the State government is likewise duty bound to provide the same.
There are no two opinions that the relatively peaceful atmosphere has enabled both the government and the public to concentrate on economic development. No one better than the Chief Minister, would be in a position to appreciate the point that the margin between peace and development, particularly with regard to Nagaland, is a precarious one. It is for this reason that the DAN government would have to come out with a clear-cut Peace Policy as it has done on the development front. Failure to do so would only obliterate whatever progress that has been made over the last three years.
